JP2003046813A - Digital camera - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain a digital camera in which the type of processing under execution can be grasped easily at the time of processing a photographed image with respect to externally displayed image data. SOLUTION: The digital camera 100 comprises a photographing means 11 for converting an image acquired through a photographic lens into an image signal, means 13 for recording the image signal, means 14 for displaying the recorded image data, and the like, means 17 for externally transmitting the image data being displayed on an external display and various control signals, means 16 for detecting the movement and inclination of a housing in order to control image processing, e.g. trimming of image data displayed on the external display, through movement and inclination of the housing, and an information processing means 12 for analyzing the movement of the housing based on the output from the position detecting means and generating an execution instruction of image processing as a control signal wherein the display means displays the type of image processing being executed through movement of the housing by means of an icon.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a digital camera applied to a system for externally displaying and storing photographed images without the intervention of a personal computer, and more particularly to an interface for processing the displayed image data. Pertain.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A digital camera can reproduce an image on the display means of the camera body on the spot where it is taken, and if the image data is taken into a personal computer, the photographer can process and edit the image by himself. Its use is increasing rapidly.

By the way, for the processing and editing of images, a digital camera is connected to a personal computer, or a recording medium in which image files are recorded is set in the personal computer, and the image data is transferred to the personal computer side for exclusive use. Must be done using software. Therefore, if you do not have a suitable personal computer at hand, or if you do not have the required image processing software installed, or if you cannot find accessories such as interface cables, you will not be able to edit or edit images. Possible, and
There is a problem that it is difficult for a user who is not accustomed to operating a personal computer.

A method has also been proposed in which the operation of the personal computer is not required, and the operation is performed by the movement of the housing of the camera, portable terminal, or the like. This method eliminates the need for troublesome operations related to a personal computer, but in a camera that has a limited number of buttons and switches that also have multiple functions, the operation until selecting and confirming the desired processing becomes complicated, Moreover, since the operations are similar, there is a problem that it is difficult for the operator to learn the method.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, the present invention provides a digital camera capable of easily ascertaining the type of processing currently being executed when processing a captured image for image data displayed externally. To aim.

[0006]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention solves the above-mentioned problems by imaging means (imaging means 11) for converting an image obtained through a photographic lens into an image signal, and recording means (for recording the image signal). Recording means 13), display means (display means 14) for displaying recorded image data and the like, and interface means (image transmitting / receiving means 17) for sending image data to be displayed on an external display device and various control signals to the outside.
And a position detecting means (position detecting means 16) for detecting the movement or inclination of the casing in order to control the image processing such as trimming on the image data displayed on the external display device by the movement or inclination of the casing. And a information processing means (information processing means 12) that analyzes the movement of the housing based on the output of the position detection means and generates an execution command of the image processing processing as a control signal. In the camera 100), the display means displays an icon indicating a type of image processing when the image processing is executed by the movement of the housing.

With this configuration, for example, a "scissors" icon indicating trimming, a "loupe" icon indicating enlargement / reduction, or the like can be displayed large on the display means such as an LCD attached to the camera body. Therefore, the contents of the image processing currently being executed can always be easily grasped,
It is possible to surely execute the processing operation without making a mistake.

The invention according to claim 2 is the digital camera according to claim 1 (digital camera 100), interface means (image transmitting / receiving means 21) for receiving image data and various control signals from the digital camera, and the above-mentioned. An external device (external recording device 200) having a storage means (memory 23) for accumulating image data; an external display device (television 300) such as a television receiver connected to the external device and displaying the image data; It is characterized by having.

With this configuration, it is possible to configure a digital camera system for displaying or storing photographed images to the outside without the intervention of a personal computer, and confirm the details of the image on the external display device connected to the external device. However, it becomes possible to execute the image processing, and moreover, it becomes possible to display only the icon indicating the type of the image processing on the display means such as an LCD attached to the camera body.
The contents currently being executed can always be easily grasped, and the operation of the processing can be surely executed without making a mistake. For example, in the trimming process, the entire image can be displayed on the external display unit, the digital camera body can be operated while confirming the position to start trimming on the external display device, and the process can be executed.

According to this structure, by connecting the external display device to the external recording device, the image processing can be executed while confirming the details of the image, and further, the display such as the LCD attached to the camera body can be displayed. Since it is possible to display only the icon indicating the type of image processing on the means, it is possible to always easily grasp what is currently being executed, and it is possible to reliably execute the processing operation without mistake. Becomes For example, in the trimming process, the entire image can be displayed on the external display unit, the digital camera body can be operated while confirming the position to start trimming on the external display device, and the process can be executed.

[0011]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration of a digital camera according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the digital camera 100 includes a lens 10, an image pickup means 11, an information processing means 12, a recording means 13, a display means 14, an input means 15 including various operation switches, a movement and a tilt of a camera housing. It is composed of a position detecting means 16 for detecting the position, an image transmitting / receiving means 17, and the like.

The image pickup means 11 includes a CCD as an image pickup element, and a CC is provided via a lens 10 and a diaphragm device (not shown).
This is a block for converting an optical image of a subject formed on the light receiving surface of D into an electronic image signal. The illustrated digital camera 1
The CCD mounted on the No. 00 has a so-called electronic shutter function of controlling the charge accumulation time (shutter speed) of each light receiving sensor according to the timing of the shutter gate pulse.

The lens 10 may be a zoom lens or a single focus lens. The lens 10 is driven by a lens driving device having a motor (zoom motor or focus motor) not shown.

The information processing means 12 is a central processing unit (C
PU) and an image signal processing circuit, and is a processing unit that integrally controls each circuit of the digital camera 100. The CPU controls the corresponding operation according to the input signal from the input means 15 and the output from the position detection means 16, and performs the zooming operation of the lens 10 and the automatic focus adjustment (A
F) Control of operation, automatic exposure adjustment (AE) control, transmission of image data to an external recording device, execution of image processing / editing processing, and the like. The image signal processing circuit takes in the image signal output from the image pickup means 11 according to the instruction of the CPU, and performs color separation based on the received image signal,
Predetermined processing such as gain adjustment and A / D conversion is performed, and generation of luminance signal (Y signal) and color difference signal (C signal), gamma correction processing, compression processing, and other signal processing are performed.

An image signal obtained from the image pickup means 11 is subjected to a predetermined process in an image signal processing circuit and converted into electronic image data representing a photographed subject image. The image data thus obtained is recorded in the main body built-in memory by the recording means 13. A removable recording medium, for example, a card type IC memory called a smart medium, may be used instead of the internal memory of the main body. The recording medium is not limited to a memory card, but a PC card, a magnetic disk,
Various forms such as a magneto-optical disk and a memory stick are possible. The recording means 13 is composed of a read / write device corresponding to the type of recording medium used.

The display means 14 is composed of, for example, a liquid crystal display (LCD). Instead of the liquid crystal display, an organic EL display or other flat display can be used. On the display unit 14, in addition to the reproduced image read from the main body built-in memory, an icon indicating the type of image processing or editing process is displayed. Also, camera functions such as menus and selection items required for various setting / selection operations of the digital camera 100, display of remaining memory capacity of the memory card, number of photographable images, frame number of reproduced image, remaining battery level, etc. Information related to is also displayed.

The position detecting means 16 enables the operator to select or execute various operations by moving or tilting the camera housing, and has a function of assisting input by various buttons or switches. . The position detecting means 16 enables the operator to more intuitively perform the operation. In this embodiment, an acceleration sensor is used as the position detecting means 16. Specifically, the acceleration sensor is arranged in each of the X, Y, and Z axis directions of the three-dimensional coordinate system, and the information processing means 12 calculates the movement amount and the rotation angle according to the output signals from the three sensors. .

The image transmitting / receiving unit 17 transfers the image data recorded in the recording unit 13 to an external recording unit by a predetermined method, transmits / receives a control signal to / from the external recording unit, and interfaces with an external device. Function as. In the present embodiment, wireless is used as a transmission medium for image data, and infrared rays are used for transmission / reception of control signals. Therefore, the image transmission / reception means 17 and the image transmission / reception means 21 of an external recording device, which will be described later, transmit image data and control signals. It has a transceiver. Although the image data transfer is wireless in the present embodiment, wired data transfer may be used. Further, the image data may be transferred via a storage medium such as a memory card.

Next, FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a digital camera system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The internal structure of the digital camera 100 is as shown in FIG. The image data transmitted from the digital camera 100 is received and recorded by the external recording device 200. The external recording apparatus 200 mainly includes an image transmitting / receiving unit 21 for receiving image data and transmitting / receiving various control signals, a control unit 22 for controlling the operation of each unit of the external recording apparatus 200 in response to commands of various control signals, and image data. Display interface 2 for displaying image data by connecting to a memory 23 for recording, an external monitor or a general television
4. It comprises a printing means 25 for printing an image.

The external recording device 200 can display the image data recorded in the memory by connecting an external monitor or a general television 300 to the display interface 24. Further, the image data stored in the memory can be printed by the printing means 25.

Next, FIG. 3 shows a schematic external view of the digital camera in this embodiment. The digital camera 100 includes a housing 31, a power switch 32, an optical finder 33, a taking lens 34, a shutter button 35, and an auxiliary light emitting section 3.
6, a display 37, a function button 38, a menu switch (cross switch) 39, a reset button 40, an execution / screen changeover switch 41, an infrared transmission / reception unit 42, and the like.

Next, the operation of the digital camera and the digital camera system according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The image data taken by the digital camera 100 is stored in the camera body. At any time, the captured image data is displayed on the display unit 14 (LCD) of the digital camera 100, and the image to be processed is selected (step S10).
1). After selecting the image, the digital camera 100 is set to the image processing mode in order to transfer the selected image to the external recording device 200 (step S102). In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the operation of changing to the image processing mode is performed by tilting the right side of the digital camera 100 downward by 45 degrees or more while pressing the function button 38 of the digital camera 100. . When this position detection means 16 detects this movement as an ON operation of the image processing mode, the image data displayed on the display means 14 is transferred from the recording means 13 to the external recording device 200 via the image transmitting / receiving means 17. Is performed (step S103).

The external recording device 200 receives the image data (step S104) and stores it in the memory 23 (step S105). At the time when the data is transferred, the image processing processing icon is displayed on the display means 14 of the digital camera 100 (step S106). Further, the image of the selected image data is displayed on the television 300 connected to the external recording device 200 (step S107). When the function button 38 of the digital camera 100 is pressed, a “scissors” icon indicating trimming and a “loupe” icon indicating enlargement / reduction are displayed in order, and a desired image processing process is selected (step S108). ). As an example, FIG. 6 shows a display example of the trimming icon. After that, the selected image processing process is performed (step S109), but the image is displayed on the television 300 connected to the external recording device 200 in the process of the process (step S110).
Therefore, the process can be executed while confirming the display.

Next, with respect to the detailed steps of the image processing, here, using the flowchart of FIG. 7 as an example of trimming and the display example of the screen displayed on the television 300 connected to the external recording device 200 (FIG. 8). explain.

When the "scissors" icon is displayed on the display means 14 of the digital camera 100, the trimming processing mode is set (step S200). At this point, an arrow indicating the trimming start position is displayed on the image displayed on the television 300 connected to the external recording device 200 (step S201). This arrow is moved to select the trimming start position (step S202). Menu switch (cross switch) of digital camera 100
When the user presses the upper and lower sides of 39, a control signal corresponding to the pressing time is transmitted to the external recording device 200 via the image transmitting / receiving means 17. The control unit 22 of the external recording device 200 displays a display in which the arrow is moved up and down according to the control signal received by the image transmitting / receiving unit 21. In this way, it is possible to move the trimming start position up and down by the operation on the digital camera side while confirming the moving display of the arrow of the television 300 (step S203) (FIG. 8A). Similarly,
When the left or right of the menu switch (cross switch) 39 is pressed, the arrow moves to the upper side of the image, and it becomes possible to trim the image vertically (FIG. 8B). Also in this case, it is possible to move the trimming start position to the left and right.

The trimming start position arrow is moved to an appropriate position and the function button 38 is pressed to determine the trimming start position (step S204).

When the function button 38 is pressed, the trimming execution mode is automatically entered (step S205).
Trimming with any shape such as straight lines, curved lines, and arcs. This operation is performed by the digital camera 1 held by the operator.
The transmission unit of 00 is directed to the television 300 side, and the movement is performed so that the screen is actually trimmed.

FIG. 9 shows an example of how to move the camera. As shown, the operator holds the camera toward the television 300 and moves the camera in each direction. The position detecting means 16 detects the movement and inclination of the camera housing. Since the operator's hand slightly moves, the trimming operation moves the camera while pressing the function button 38 in order to distinguish the trimming operation from other movements (step S206). The position detection means 16 of the digital camera 100 detects the output signal from the acceleration sensor after the execution button is pressed (step S207) and outputs it to the information processing means 12.

Based on the output signal, the information processing means 12 analyzes in which direction the camera housing has moved in the three-dimensional coordinate system, and calculates the moving amount and moving direction of the arrow (step S208). The result is transmitted to the external recording device 200 via the image transmitting / receiving means 17. External recording device 200
The image transmitting / receiving unit 21 receives the movement data, and the control unit 22 changes the position of the arrow according to the movement data and causes the television 300 to display the position (step S209). The image display during the trimming is preferably an image display as if the paper is actually cut, as shown in FIG. 8C, so that the trimming situation can be grasped intuitively.

The operator moves the digital camera 100 until the trimming is completed, and repeats the procedure from step S206 to step S209. When the movement of the arrow is completed (step S210), a speaker (not shown in the block diagram) of the external recording device 200 emits a paper-like onomatopoeic sound (step S211),
It is preferable to effectively notify by voice that the trimming is completed. Next, the trimmed image is displayed on the television 300 (step S212). The image is confirmed (step S213), and if the image is to be redone, the image is reset (step S214). When the trimming is confirmed, the process proceeds to step S215, and subsequently it is determined whether another trimming is to be executed. When the trimming is repeated, the process returns to step S200 and the same procedure is repeated again.

After the trimming is repeated an arbitrary number of times, it is judged whether or not the processing is confirmed (step S216), and when it is confirmed, the trimming processing is ended (step S21).
7). If not confirmed, the process returns to the step indicated by “A” in FIG. 4 and the process of selecting the image processing is performed again.

Next, returning to FIG. 4, the procedure after the image processing (step S109) is completed will be described. When the trimming processing is completed in the above example, the image after the processing is displayed on the television 300 (step S11).
0), a display for confirming whether or not to confirm the machining processing performed so far is performed (step S111). This display may be displayed on the LCD which is the display means of the digital camera 100, the television 300 connected to the external recording device 200, or both. If not confirmed, it is possible to press the reset button 40 and return to step S106 to start over from the selection of the image processing process. To confirm, press the function button 38 to save the processed image (step S112). in this case,
The unprocessed image data may be deleted or may be set to be saved as a backup.

In this embodiment, the image data to be processed is transferred to the external recording device 200 each time, but the image data stored in the recording means 13 is transferred to the external recording device 200 in advance. Alternatively, the digital camera 100 may be operated to perform a search while displaying an image on the external display unit and select an image to be processed. At that time, it is preferable that the image data to be stored in the memory 23 is provided with a holder for each theme and is classified so as to be easily searched. FIG. 10 is a flowchart of image data storage and image processing in this format.
Shown in. The digital camera 100 transmits the image data stored in the recording unit 13 to the external recording device 200 via the image transmitting / receiving unit 17 (step S301). The external recording device 200 receives the image data (step S
302) and save it in the memory 23 (step S30).
3).

Next, when the transferred image is processed at any time, the menu switch 39 of the digital camera 100 is used to select the image search menu of the external recording device 200 to search for the image to be processed. Do (Step S
304). At that time, on the television 300 connected to the external recording device 200, a holder storing the image is displayed as an icon or the like, and the cross switch 39, which is a menu switch, is pressed to search for the image. But it doesn't matter. The image of the image data of the prosecuted image is displayed on the television 300 (step S305). When selecting a predetermined image, the function button 38 is pressed to confirm the execution of the process (step S306). When the function button 38 is pressed, the image processing mode is automatically entered (step S30).
7). The subsequent procedure is the same as the flow after the portion indicated by “A” in the flowchart of FIG. 4, and the description is omitted because it is the same.

Further, in the present embodiment, the type of various processing / editing processing is displayed by icons, but it may be displayed by characters such as "cut", "enlarge", and "reduce". I don't care.

Further, in this embodiment, the digital camera 1
Image data from the recording means 13 of 00
When transferring to 0, the corresponding image data of the recording means 13 is erased. This is because erasing increases the free space of the memory in the digital camera and increases the number of shootable images, but a method of not erasing as a backup may be used. In particular, in the case of a removable recording medium such as a memory card or the like, either method can be adopted because the number of shootable images can be increased by changing the medium.

In the present embodiment, the position detecting means 16
Although it is configured to detect the movement of the camera and perform the confirming operation and the display moving operation, it goes without saying that the same operation can be performed by using various buttons and cross switch of the camera body.

In the present embodiment, the image data is once transferred to the external storage device and then the processing / editing process is performed. However, for example, when there is no external recording device or a television nearby such as when going out. Of course, it is also possible to perform processing / editing processing while looking at the display of the digital camera body without transferring the image data. FIG. 11 shows a screen display example at that time. FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing a display screen of a display of a digital camera, which is in a mode for trimming a selected image. In this case as well, the icon of the “scissors” illustration showing the trimming mode is displayed at the upper right of the screen, so that it is easy to identify the trimming execution mode. In addition, a small arrow blinks on the left side of the screen to indicate the trim (edge cutting) start position. The operator moves the camera housing while looking at the LCD, or moves the arrow with the cross switch 39 to determine the trim start position, then moves the camera housing in the same manner, or operates the cross switch 39. Trim the image. When the trimming is finished, the finished image is automatically displayed on the display. If you want to redo the trimming from the beginning after viewing the display after execution, tilt the camera housing to clear the trimming operation performed and display the first image again. When complete, the function button 38
push. A display appears asking how to save the image data. Select whether to overwrite or create a new image file with a different name, and save is completed.

[0039]

According to the digital camera of the present invention, since the icon indicating the type of image processing is displayed on the display means of the camera, the operator can easily understand the content of the processing to be executed. Moreover, since the image processing can be performed by the movement of the camera housing instead of the operation of various switches, it seems that the image processing is actually performed by using the displayed processing tool (for example, "scissors" for trimming). It is possible to operate with various feelings. In this way, since the image processing can be performed intuitively and easily, there is no need to learn complicated processing operations as in the conventional case.

In addition, the digital camera system of the present invention does not require a dedicated personal computer for image processing, and can easily perform image processing even for an operator unfamiliar with personal computer operation. Furthermore, since software for a personal computer and cables for connecting the personal computer to the digital camera body are not necessary, there is no limitation that the availability of image processing is limited depending on the presence or absence of the software.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration of a digital camera according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a digital camera system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic external view of a digital camera according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an operation procedure of the digital camera and the digital camera system according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing an operation example (image transfer operation) of the digital camera according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing an example of icon display on the LCD of the digital camera according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing detailed steps in a trimming process of the digital camera and the digital camera system according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing a screen display example in a trimming process of the digital camera and the digital camera system according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing an operation example (trimming execution operation) of the digital camera according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing second detailed steps in the trimming process of the digital camera and the digital camera system according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing a display example when image processing is performed using the LCD of the digital camera according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

12 Information processing means 13 Recording means 14 Display means 16 Position detection means 17 Image sending and receiving means 21 Image Transmission / Reception Means of External Recording Device 22 Control means 23 memory 24 display interface 37 display 38 Function buttons 39 Menu switch (cross switch) 40 Reset button 42 Infrared transmitter / receiver 100 digital camera 200 External recording device 300 TV

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Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. An image pickup means for converting an image obtained through a photographic lens into an image signal, a recording means for recording the image signal, a display means for displaying the recorded image data and the like, and image data to be displayed on an external display device. And interface means for sending various control signals to the outside, and for detecting the movement or inclination of the casing in order to control the image processing such as trimming for image data displayed on the external display device by the movement or inclination of the casing. A digital camera including position detecting means for controlling the movement of the housing based on the output of the position detecting means and generating information processing execution instructions as control signals. A digital camera, wherein the means displays an icon indicating a type of image processing when the image processing is executed by the movement of the housing. 2. An external device comprising the digital camera according to claim 1, an interface means for receiving image data and various control signals from the digital camera, and a storage means for storing the image data, and the external device. An external display device such as a television receiver connected to the display device for displaying the image data, and a digital camera system.